Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Windy Wednesday.

Today started out lovely. Sunny and warm. But some time in the afternoon the sun went under some dark clouds and the wind started to pick up. By the time we went to the park after school, it was extremely windy and downright chilly. Simon and I played hide and seek. Theo didn't want to play, but he did want to hide from the wind. He found the perfect spot to do that. We stayed for about 20 minutes, I think.

Yesterday at the school playground a lot of parents were hanging around, letting their kids play after school because it was such a beautiful day. As we first started playing, maybe 5 minutes after school let out, I witness a grandmother talking to the little girl she was picking up. The girl was playing happily with friends and the grandmother said, "Mary, do you still want to go to McDonald's?" The girl squealed YES! "Okay, then we have to leave now," said her grandma.

I've been thinking about that and wondering about it. Why did that little girl need to leave the playground on a sunny day to go to McDonald's? What could the reason be? Was it to get food? ("food") Was it so she could play on the indoor playset? Probably a promise had been made earlier in the day and the grandmother felt it had to be fulfilled. But there was also something in her voice that told me she was ready to get out of there, to move on and maybe to sit down in a climate controlled environment. I REALIZE I'M READING WAY TOO MUCH INTO THIS. But something about that little interaction made me think about how, as caretakers of children, sometimes we have to put up with a little discomfort in order to give our kids something that is good for them. That could mean preparing a snack or meal at home instead of going through the drive-thru, because even though it's a little more trouble, it's what is good for our kids. It could mean staying outside longer than is completely comfortable because we know that being outside is good for our kids. So all I'm trying to say is that seeing that grandmother pull her granddaughter off the playground after 5 minutes on such a gorgeous day, to go to McDonald's of all things, somehow served as a reminder of why I'm doing this. Even when it cuts into time that I'd rather be spending somewhere else or doing something else, I'll give my kids as much outside time as I can, because it's good for them. That is my deep and somewhat judgmental thought for the day.